The Reason Why eBook

And soon they drew up at the little Tylling Green
station, and the saloon was switched off, while the
express flew on to King’s Lynn.

There were motor cars and an omnibus to meet them,
and Lady Ethelrida’s own comfortable coupe for
the bridal pair. They might just want to say a
few words together alone before arriving, she had kindly
thought. And so, though neither of the two were
very eager for this tete-a-tete, they got in and started
off. The little coupe had very powerful engines
and flew along, so they were well ahead of the rest
of the party and would get to the house first, which
was what the hostess had calculated upon. Then
Tristram could have the pleasure of presenting his
bride to the assembled company at tea, without the
interruptions of the greetings of the other folk.

Zara felt excited. She was beginning to realize
that these English people were all of her dead father’s
class, not creatures whom one must beware of until
one knew whether or not they were gamblers or rogues.
And it made her breathe more freely, and the black
panther’s look died out of her eyes. She
did not feel nervous, as she well might have done—­only
excited and highly worked up. Tristram, for his
part, wished to heaven Ethelrida had not arranged
to send the coupe for them. It was such a terrible
temptation for him to resist for five miles, sitting
so near her all alone in the dusk of the afternoon!
He clenched his hands under the rug, and drew as far
away from her as he could; and she glanced at him
and wondered, almost timidly, why he looked so stern.

“I hope you will tell me, if there is anything
special you wish me to do, please?” she said.
“Because, you see, I have never been in the
English country before, and my uncle has given me to
understand the customs are different to those abroad.”

He felt he could not look at her; the unusual gentleness
in her voice was so alluring, and he had not forgotten
the hurt of the chinchilla coat. If he relented
in his attitude at all she would certainly snub him
again; so he continued staring in front of him, and
answered ordinarily,

“I expect you will do everything perfectly right,
and every one will only want to be kind to you, and
make you have a good time; and my uncle will certainly
make love to you but you must not mind that.”

And Zara allowed herself to smile as she answered,

“No, I shall not in the least object to that!”

He knew she was smiling—­out of the corner
of his eye—­and the temptation to clasp
her to him was so overpowering that he said rather
hoarsely, “Do you mind if I put the window down?”

He must have some air; he was choking. She wondered
more and more what was the matter with him, and they
both fell into a constrained silence which lasted
until they turned into the park gates; and Zara peered
out into the ghostly trees, with their autumn leaves
nearly off, and tried to guess from the lodge what
the house would be like.